Java Moss is an
aquatic moss frequently used in
aquariums. It is from
Indonesia and
Malaysia, and is called Vesicularia dubyana by the more scientifically inclined.
Java Moss is one of those things, kind of like “
friendship bread starter”, that one often gets from a
friend then
passes on to many more. My first bit (along with some wonderful fish and
Java Fern) was from an Internet friend who came to visit. I’ve since grown and given away
tanks and tanks of the stuff. To divide and
propagate one merely pulls strands apart and places it in a new location.
It requires very little light to live but will grow even better with good light, it uses up the end product of the
nitrogen cycle and competes nicely with
algae. It is also not fussy about water conditions such as PH, temperature, mild salinity or hardness of the water.
It is a bright green thin, filamentous and branching strand-like
plant. It can be used floating freely, it can be artificially anchored to decorations and will eventually grow its own attachments called
rhizoids to the object. It can be used on the bottom of the tank, around tank support items to
disguise them or suspended from floating cork to form a little curtain from the top of the tank.. Monofilament fishing line, rubber bands, unwaxed and unflavored dental floss or other threads may be used to attach the moss artificially. The rhizoids are not roots and no part of the moss should be “planted” by burying it in the
substrate.
It provides hiding space for many
fish, especially
fry as well as providing
food for others. Some fish actually eat the plant and others, especially small fry, eat the
microorganisms that the moss harbors.
SOURCEs
www.actwin.com/fish/aquatic-plants
http://www.aquahobby.com/garden/pdubyana.html
http://www.intellweb.com/gcka/plants1.htm
www.thekrib.com/Plants/Plants/java-moss.html